The Link Autumn 2022

A look back on a

TheLink

Welcome to the The Link!

Introduction by Michael Wells Chief Executive, Carnoustie Golf Links

I’m delighted to introduce you to our latest edition of The Link.

This is the second edition since the pandemic, and we are very happy to share with you, our latest information from Carnoustie Golf Links.

It has been quite a season with a number of exciting championships and tournaments taking place, including the recent Boys’ & Girls’ Amateur Championships that took place during a week of glorious weather.

We have been busy with our community benefits programme, we are currently reviewing a large number of applications and look forward to updating applicants on the next stage of the process shortly.

There are some big plans in the pipeline, literally(!) so please read on to find out more about that.

I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your time reading this and we hope that you’ve enjoyed this summer season as much as we have.

We are really thrilled to bring this new edition of The Link to you - sharing the latest exciting news in tournaments, entertainment, community news and much more!

What a season it has been so far! The restrictive nature of the pandemic feels almost a distant memory and we are pleased to have had the opportunity to safely bring back a number of Championships and other exciting activities. As well as playing host to those tournaments, we’ve welcomed along some well known guests to the Links.

Our Greenkeeping team have been working hard as ever, to keep our four courses in top condition for everyone to enjoy. For nongolfers and golfers alike, we welcome you to continue utilising the space here with leisurely walks and taking in the scenery and interesting wildlife of the Links.

The Rookery Restaurant and Bar has had another busy season and we’ve had some lovely feedback from guests who have been enjoying the recently added Tapas and Quick Bites option from the menu. Our chefs have some exciting new menus in the works, including our 2022 festive menus! Keep an eye out on The Rookery’s social media channels for all the latest news and updates.

We asked for your community news and we’re delighted to be able to share lots of your updates, activities and stories within this edition of The Link, so please read on to find out more and help spread the word about these fantastic groups and organisations. We can’t deny that we’ve had some truly glorious weather over the course of the summer, but we are beginning to notice those Autumn days slowly draw in and with that, the darker evenings. With that in mind, remember, we’ve got our Indoor Performance Centre with seven golf simulators where you can practice,

Cover image: Our wonderful Carnoustie Caddies.

On 8th July, we snapped this picture of a couple of our caddies, hard at work.

Visitors look to gain support, first hand knowledge, as well as some entertaining anecdotes during their time at Carnoustie - and our enthusiastic and dedicated caddies are here to provide just that.

improve or just have fun! You’ll find out more about our Indoor Performance Centre membership options within this edition of the Link.

As always, we very much hope you enjoy this edition of The Link, keeping you up to date with what’s happening at Carnoustie Golf Links. Remember, you can still give us your feedback on The Link to help us bring you the news and updates that you want.

Please enjoy!

Our Survey Winner!

We asked you to give us your opinions on The Link to be in with a chance of winning a £50 voucher for The Rookery!

We’re delighted to announce our winner is Louise Renwick. Congratulations Louise, we look forward to welcoming you to The Rookery soon!

News from The Links

Jubilee Celebrations

To commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June, we showcased a very special Jubilee flag on the 18th hole of The Championship Course, The Burnside Course, The Buddon Course and The Nestie Course too!

Here, we see Pat Sawers, Lord Lieutenant of Angus, joined by our very own, Craig Boath, to honour the occassion.

On Course Foundation

We were delighted to welcome beneficiaries of the On Course Foundation to Carnoustie. As part of their On Course To The Open fundraising campaign, beneficiaries and representatives of the charity were challenged to walk, run, cycle, swim an d row in a relay to reach 1500kms in a bid to raise awareness for their important work to support wounded, injured and sick Service personnel.

Mind the Links at The 150th Open

Michael Wells, Chief Executive of Carnoustie Golf Links, was invited to give a talk at a very special event at the Byre Theatre in St Andrews, during the 150th Open Championship week to celebrate the launch of the recently published Mind The Links book. Michael shared information about the wonderful work that the Golf Memories group undertakes to support those living with memory conditions.

The book, Mind The Links is a wonderful weave of essays, poetry, photographs and articles of reminiscence, including many Carnoustie contributions.

Copies of the book are available to purchase in The Professional Shop in Links House and the full cover price of the book, £15, goes to Golf Memories.

10-Hole Championship Returns

The Carnoustie 10-Hole Championship in association with Double A Trading, will return on 8th October for its second year. Our fully inclusive Championship is open to all Season Ticket Holders with no restrictions on age, gender or handicap.

10-year-old junior golfer Nina Fischer triumphed and became the very first winner of the 10-Hole Championship in 2021.

Entry will open on Monday 19 th September - so keep an eye out for more information! They’ll be plenty of prizes up for grabs for the winners/finalists.

Seagreen Community Benefit Fund

The Seagreen Community Benefit Fund has been established to benefit local communities who are impacted by the construction of the Seagreen project.

Find out more about the funding opportunity, here: www.seagreenwindenergy.com/ community-funds Information and logo: www.seagreenwindenergy.com

Golf Development at Carnoustie Golf Links

On Thursday 11th August 2022, Carnoustie Golf Links and Abertay University launched a new research partnership that will aim to make golf more accessible to all.

The partnership, which builds on previous collaborative research work between the two organisations, will be based at a new Carnoustie Golf Links Research Hub at the course, and will focus on increasing participation in under-represented groups, health and wellbeing, developing new methods to enhance golf performance and assessing the impact of major events.

The first study to be generated since the formation of the partnership, the Global Golf Census, was also officially unveiled at the Links on the day as The R&A’s Boys’ and Girls’ Amateur Championships continued.

Lecturer in the Division of Sports Sciences at Abertay University, Dr Graeme Sorbie said innovation and progression will be placed at the heart of the new hub.

He added: “Abertay is proud to be working in partnership with Carnoustie Golf Links in this new research centre. Our mission is to help make golf more accessible for anyone who wants to participate. Our research aims to have a meaningful impact on the people involved in golf, both now and in the future, helping improve how golf is perceived.”

Golf is important to society because of its wide-ranging benefits including helping to improve physical and mental wellbeing as well as developing social, community and economic prosperity. To safeguard these benefits, it’s important that the sport continues to innovate and grow sustainably in order to improve how golf is perceived.

The Carnoustie Golf Links Research Hub will provide a base to advance knowledge of the sport through research and innovation of the highest quality, with an emphasis on generating data that can help grow the game and have meaningful impact on the people involved in golf, both now and in the future.

Michael Wells, Chief Executive of Carnoustie Golf Links said: “We have been working with Abertay University for a number of years on some extremely interesting research projects, including our impact study during The AIG Women’s Open, a current project assessing physical activity and health of caddies and ongoing research linked to our High Performance junior golf programmes.

“The Carnoustie Golf Links Research Hub in partnership with Abertay University is the next step in our mission to help turn the dial on the sport in a meaningful, data-driven, way. As an organisation who strives to lead the way in golf development and growing the game, we believe we will be even better placed to take informed decisions and actions through the data that is provided by our very own research hub. Furthermore, we look forward to making this information available to the industry in order that our learnings can be applied to the wider game.”

Professor David Lavallee of Abertay University’s School of Applied Sciences and Chair of the Research Hub steering group, said: “We are launching The Global Golf Census, which will be the first and largest reaching international study assessing how people who participate in golf are supported in areas including wellbeing, mental welfare and inclusion. The most important element in golf is the people involved, whether they are amateur or professional golfers, golf teaching professionals, caddies, greenkeepers or others involved in the game in another capacity. The Global Golf Census will monitor and report data across the entire sport to help grow the game in sustainable ways.”

We

Carnoustie Golf Links team up with Abertay University to launch innovative golf research hub

The Carnoustie Junior Open

A stunning round of 66, saw Ewen Farquhar of The St Andrews New Golf Club claim victory in the 2022 Carnoustie Junior Open played over The Carnoustie Burnside Course. Rory Ferguson, representing the Carnoustie Caledonia Golf Club was the leading home player with a level par 68.

In the handicap 18-hole event, Arisha Virik, from Kenilworth Golf Club shot a fantastic net 60 and thwarted local Carnoustie Craws and Arbroath Artisans player Ben Teviotdale from claiming the title by just one stroke.

The Carnoustie Junior Open not only took place on The Carnoustie Burnside Course, but players also had the opportunity to participate in the event over The Carnoustie Buddon Course and The Nestie Course, depending on their ability and handicap. The Buddon Course hosted a 9-hole event for players with handicaps between 28 and 54, while The Nestie Course hosted a 5-hole event for players who are without handicaps and are just starting their journey in the game. Samuel Scott from Middlesborough Golf Club won the overall 9-hole event with a net 26 and in the 5-hole event, there were individual winners for boys and girls in five age categories. However, a special mention must go to Carnoustie Craws player Sebastian Brown, who at only 6 years old, had the best score of the day, covering The Nestie Course in just 18 strokes!

The Carnoustie Junior Open prides itself on progression. The competition challenges young golfers to come back year after year and move up through the levels of competition. The event is free to enter and this year over 113 players competed across The Carnoustie Burnside, Buddon and Nestie courses.

10 Junior Golfers Represent Carnoustie Craws at National Championships

The Scottish Boys and Scottish Girls Championships took place this summer at Edzell Golf Club and Auchterarder Golf Club, respectively.

Competing in the events were 10 Carnoustie Craws High Performance Programme players, with eight players taking part in the boys championship and two players taking part in the girls championship.

Commenting on the achievement, Carnoustie’s PGA Head Professional Keir McNicoll said “This is a great success story for all the hard work that these players and everyone involved with The Carnoustie Craws has put in over the past five years. To see these players coming through now and achieving handicaps low enough to compete at a national event is brilliant. They should all be very proud. This is the first year of Carnoustie running our High Performance Programme and hopefully the training sessions that the boys and girls have taken part in over the past few months have helped them prepare for the event.

“Many of the players are still young with lots more opportunities to play in the coming years, so I’m sure this will give them a taste of what to expect in the future. Building up their tournament experience is crucial for development and will help them to build the skills needed to be a high performing golfer.”

The Golf Development Team travelled with the players to support them during the practice rounds to help prepare for the event.

The Carnoustie Craws who participated are as follows: Heather Strathdee, Freya Dolan, Finlay Elrick, Ross Alexander, Finlay Hazelwood, Rory Ferguson, Drew MacDonald, Taiyo Ezaki, Oliver Sanford and Finlay Bonnar

Community News

The Legion in Scotland celebrated its 100th birthday last year

However, in Carnoustie we only have records of a Legion branch here stretching back to the early 1930’s. Yet, in all that time, the purpose of the Legion has not changed – the need to support our military veterans who were ready to lay down their lives for the defence of the UK and its allies. But, we also recognise the need to evolve and we are now creating a Legion branch in Carnoustie that is there to serve our community. We do that through our food bank which was started long before anybody had heard of Covid. We offer a warm, welcoming – and safe – place for people to socialise. We have bingo nights, raffles, quizzes, tea dances, and social gatherings.

And, please, can we dispel the myth that the Legion is only for ex-military veterans! We welcome all into the Legion who share our ethos of “Service not Self” – the Legion motto. So, come along to one of our big breakfasts or a country and western evening or a 60’s, 70’s, 80’s music night. You never know, you might enjoy yourself and want to become a member! We would love to have you on board.

Location: 88 Dundee Street (behind Miller’s Furniture)

Telephone: 01241 854940

Web: www.legionscotland.org.uk/carnoustie

The Carnoustie and Monifieth Men’s Shed

The purpose of the organisation is to provide recreational facilities and advance the social needs, health and wellbeing for people of all ages and backgrounds living in Carnoustie, Monifieth and surrounding areas. You may not know, but The Men’s Shed also welcome women - it is open to anyone who would like to get involved.

Our aim is to reduce isolation of men and women in the area thus contributing to their mental and physical wellbeing. We want to develop the capacity of members to share their knowledge and skills with others, encourage local residents to meet and undertake purposeful, recreational and creative activities of their choice.

You can pop in and meet some of our members, enjoy a cuppa and biscuit and find out more about The Men’s Shed.

Location: The Panmure Centre, 141 Kinloch Street, Carnoustie, Angus, DD7 7JP Email: info@carnoustienadmonifiethmensshed.co.uk

Opening Times: Tuesday 1pm to 4pm Wednesday 1pm to 4pm Thursday 1pm to 4pm

Have you got news or an event to share with the community?

The next edition of The Link will be published in the winter and we’d love to feature some of your news, stories and events.

Just email: community@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk using the subject line ‘The Link Community’.

Above: The 40th anniversary of the Falklands Islands conflict is commemorated by Legion Chairman, Group Captain Davie Paton with Rev Annette Gordon - Legion chaplain and the Carnoustie Legion Standard Party at the Royal Marines’ Falklands Islands memorial on Buddon ranges.

Great Gift Idea!

With many Carnoustie contributions, Mind The Links is a wonderful gift idea for the golfer in your life - available from the Professional Shop for just £15.

The Manna Project - Carnoustie Baptist Church (CBC)

The aim of the Manna Project is to alleviate food poverty through the provision of food, free of charge, to the local community. We began, in February 2022, by sourcing fresh and tinned food and other non-perishable items from our partners. Upper Dysart Farm, in Montrose supply us with packs of fresh mixed vegetables and par-cooked baking potatoes. The local Co-op supermarket, the local branch of the British Legion and Food is Free Carnoustie Community Garden provide us with surplus provisions. We also receive donations from the CBC church family and the wider public. We are open to anyone who would like to take advantage of these provisions, particularly those experiencing hardship, loneliness and social isolation.

We are also planning to open the Manna Cafe on Wednesday lunchtimes from 27th October to provide light lunches and refreshments. In order to provide confidence in the standard of arrangements for the provision of fresh food we have registered with Angus Council as a food business.

Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

We are absolutely thrilled that Golf Memories Scotland have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in the Platinum Jubilee list. It’s fantastic to see the hard work of the volunteers and members recognised. Carnoustie are, as always, proud to support the Golf Memories Carnoustie Group. Congratulations!

Mind the Links

Golf Memories Book - a wonderful collection of stories, poems, photographs and articles from both professional and amateur golfers, including many Carnoustie contributions. Edited by Billy Dettlaff, Paul S Philippou, Jim Mackintosh & Lorraine Young. The full cover price of the book, £15, will go to Golf Memories to allow them to extend their reach across Scotland and for their sister projects in the USA to expand beyond their small but precious foothold. Copies are available in The Professional Shop at Links House.

Carnoustie HSFP Rugby Club

The primary aim at Carnoustie Rugby Club is to have fun, playing rugby! However, we also teach important character-building life lessons through our sport. We help our players to develop qualities that will equip them for their future. Leadership, handling adversity, teamwork, persistence, commitment and compassion - to name a few.

We have created a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere for everyone and we would love for you to join us! If you would like to come along and see for yourself, we train at Carnoustie High School on the following days:

P1-P3

P4-P7

Sundays 10:30 - 11:30

Wednesdays 18:00 - 19:30 and Sundays 10:30 - 12:00

Under 14s & Under 16s Wednesdays 18:30 - 20:00 and Sundays 11:00 - 13:00

Angus County Colts (Under 18s) Tuesdays and Thursdays 18:30 - 20:00

Adult Rugby Tuesdays and Thursdays 18:30 - 20:00

Did

know?

The Manna Project

What’s been happening at Carnoustie Golf Links?

Annual Gala Putting Competition

We were delighted to play host to the annual Gala Week Putting Competition which took place on Thursday 30th June. An amazing 114 people turned up on the day to try for the title of Junior and Senior winner, but it was Zac Tyrrell and Greg Docherty who took the winning titles home!

Well done to Zac, who took home the junior category and Greg who took the senior title.

Carnoustie Caddies’ Busiest Year Yet!

It’s been an incredibly exciting and busy year for our Carnoustie Caddies, having recieved a record number of round requests. What’s more, we have been delighted to have the capacity to fulfill each and every request (which hasn’t been possible for many clubs this year). That’s a huge credit to our hard working Caddie team who often go above and beyond to provide the very best experiences for guests to Carnoustie.

Caddying is a job that means mixing with lots of different people from all walks of life... including people in business, entertainment, sport and everything in between! Being a Caddie is not just a job, it also provides an opportunity to make lifelong friends with people from all over the world. And for the younger Caddies, a chance to develop skills for life. The majority of our younger, new recruits, have

“ ”

come through The Carnoustie Craws golf develoment programme which is brilliant to see.

This year has seen our biggest recruitment drive and we now have 240 caddies with a mix of men, women, school pupils, students and retirees. All new recruits are given training to ensure that they provide the highest level of service and knowledge, including shadowing with experienced caddies, course walks and handbooks.

Uniforms

Have you seen our Caddie uniform? We often recieve praise from visitors and locals about how smart our Caddies look, and we are very proud to be one of the few clubs that have such high quality uniforms for all our Caddies.

I’ve really enjoyed my first summer caddying. It’s been great meeting people from all over the world and helping to improve their experience. The other Caddies have been very helpful and welcoming towards me, and I am looking forward to next season.

Quote from Joe Perrie (16), one of our Carnoustie Craws who has began caddying at Carnoustie this year.

Pictured: Ed Oswald (Carnoustie Gala Committee), Greg Docherty (Senior Winner), Zac Tyrrell (Junior Winner) and Rebecca Tully (CGL, Head of Merchandise)

Golf Photography

Finalist in The Courier Business Awards

We were pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted in two categories at the Courier Business Awards in the following categories: Business Leader; Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality.

Our teams have made their pitch to a judging panel who will make the all important final decision and announce the winner at the exciting awards ceremony which will take place in late October.

We’re looking forward to hearing the final result, however, regardless of the outcome we are truly delighted to be shortlisted and believe this is a great nod of recognition and a testament to our hard work and dedication.

Future Skills Finalist in the Chamber Business Awards

Carnoustie Golf Links are thrilled to have been short-listed for the Future Skills award at the Dundee and Angus Chamber Business Champion Awards!

In August, we pitched to the judging panel in which we showcased the fantastic efforts that our teams go to in the drive to deliver a thorough, well-rounded and inclusive employment.

The awards will take place in early September where we will find out if our bids have been successful. We look forward to hearing the result and will of course keep you posted!

Familiar Faces

We were thrilled to be joined by some famous faces recently, with appearances from Georgia Hall, Gary Player, Anna Nordqvist and Biffy Clyro!

The Dunhill

29th September - 2nd October

We are very much looking forward to welcoming Rory McIlroy and his father back to Carnoustie in late September to take part in The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship!

The first three days of the Championship are played at Carnoustie, St Andrews and Kingsbarns - entry is FREE on these days and tickets are not needed. We hope to see you down at the Links to watch some great golf and do some celebrity spotting at the same time!

Rory McIlroy at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2019. Image Credit: Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

you’re looking for the

festive lunch

each table

place

dinner

be

The Rookery

the place to be.

include a tipple or soft drink

get you in the spirit.

arrival

enjoying some fantastic food and drink in our bright and spacious restaurant...

up the great atmosphere, excellent service and wonderful

To guarantee your Christmas celebrations at The Rookery

get in touch today and we’ll have everything organised for you.

a special request? Our team are on hand to make your day great, so anything that you’d like us to include that’s unique to your group, just let us know and we’ll talk you through the

forward to welcoming

The Rookery Restaurant and Bar

Brand New Menu Coming Soon!

Our chefs have been busy putting together a new menu, with carefully picked flavours and thoughtfully selected produce. We hope to bring this exciting new menu to The Rookery in September. Keep an eye out on our social media to be kept up to date with the latest news.

Open to everyone

The Rookery Restaurant and Bar is located on the first floor of Links House, just behind The Carnoustie Hotel. It’s open for everyone to enjoy, not just the golfers out there! Come in and say hello to our welcoming front of house staff who will be delighted to see you.

Booking a table

We encourage you to reserve a table before your visit to ensure that we’ve got a space available for you. You are also welcome to walk in on the day, but as we can sometimes be very busy we wouldn’t be able to guarantee to have a table available.

Coming up...

Over the coming months, we will be hosting family friendly events along with some of our well known exclusive dinners. To keep up to date with everything that’s going on at The Rookery, follow us on Facebook and Instagram or subscribe to our newsletterwww.therookerycarnoustie.com/newsletter.

Cocktail Time?

We’ve got a wonderful list of cocktails for you to choose from.

Whether you love a sweet treat or a sophisticated sip - The Rookery has something to suit everyone’s taste any day of the week.

Ask your server for more details about our wonderful selection of cocktails.

The Rookery Opening Times

With the changing season, comes a change to our opening hours...

Winter Opening Times will be announced shortly on our social media channels and website so keep an eye out to stay up to date.

Season Ticket Holders’ News

The Gary Player Salver

The Gary Player Salver is one of our most special trophies that is competed for each year on the courses here at Carnoustie Golf Links and it is the only trophy where all seven affiliated golf clubs compete against each other in a team format. The event always restores some local friendly club competition and the all important bragging rights to the winners. Each club is represented by four players, with their two best net scores per hole counting toward the team score.

The 2022 event was played on The Carnoustie Burnside Course on Sunday 10th July in scorching conditions – and this year’s winners were the Station Masters Golf Club, winning the event for the first time in the club’s history!

The Station Masters team consisted of Bobby Garland, Tony Coffield, Ali Khorramshahi and Keith Chalmers. Well done!

Innovative New Irrigation System

We’re pleased to let you know that Carnoustie Golf Links will be embarking on an ambitious new project over the next three years.

In October, we will begin to install a brand new, state-of-the-art, irrigation system. The new system will provide better quality water for the golf courses and tackle some long standing sub-optimal issues that became apparent over the years in the existing system.

We hope that you welcome this good news with the knowledge of our dedication to continue to invest in our world class courses, ensuring that we not only protect, but in fact enhance the future of golf at Carnoustie.

Watch out on our website for news and updates on this project.

Melody McMahon’s Journey To Becoming A Caddie

As a Season Ticket Holder and member of the Carnoustie Craws, Melody knows the Links well. She has made her way through the ranks over the last five to six years within the junior golf development programme and has demonstrated her focus, talent and commitment to the game.

“Senior Caddie, Rodney Soutar, had approached me to ask if I would be interested in becoming a caddie and I was keen to be involved. I meet lots of different people every day and have even improved my own skill-set. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about the history of golf at Carnoustie, which I can then share with guests to the course. It’s been a great opportunity to learn new skills, build confidence and resilience and I’m really looking forward to returning next season.”

We completed our biggest ever recruitment drive!

This year, Carnoustie Golf Links completed its biggest recruitment drive to date, filling 58 vacancies within the organisation, including bringing on three new Greenkeeping Apprentices and a Trainee PGA Professional, upping the head count to 125 members of staff and remaining one of the town’s largest employers.

Carnoustie Golf Links employ staff in a wide range of industries including golf course operations, administration, retail, hospitality and coaching. It also provides opportunities for the 200+ Carnoustie caddies who live, work and spend in the local area. These caddies are an essential part of the Carnoustie experience and they, along with the rest of the teams at Carnoustie, provide an outstanding service for the tens of thousands of visitors to the courses and town every year.

Due to an exceptionally busy start to the 2022 season, Carnoustie created around 60 vacancies with 95% of the roles held by local Carnoustie residents. For 6 weeks, the Human Resources team carried out back-toback interviews and reviewed over 1,000 CV’s alongside the Senior Management team.

As a strategic employer, the Links is dedicated to the training and development of new generations. This is evidenced by the new apprentice and trainee positions that were made available this year.

This year Carnoustie has also recruited three Greenkeeping apprentices – Kerr Westlake, Kyan Low and Brandon Walker – who will receive essential first-class training from the teams at Carnoustie along with continuing their education into Greenkeeping through Elmwood College in Cupar.

In order to find this next generation of greenkeepers, Carnoustie’s HR department reached out to the high schools in Angus and successfully recruited all three from Carnoustie High School. All three new recruits have been part of the Carnoustie Craws golf development programme.

Michael Wells, Chief Executive of Carnoustie Golf Links, said: “We chose to employ apprentices because we believe it is the right thing to do. We want to grow our workforce from within and instil the professionalism and expertise that we have within our current team. As the town’s largest employer, it was also important for us to recruit locally.

the team at Carnoustie where they were given greater insight into the programme and an opportunity to have any questions answered. This allowed Carnoustie to ensure that it could provide support not only to the apprentices, but also to those nearest them, meaning that they could share in this exciting opportunity and also be fully aware of the commitment required to fulfil the contract.

Daniel Morris is Carnoustie’s Trainee PGA Professional and started with the organisation in April 2022. The Links’ ambition is to expand its Golf Development and Professional Shop Team and in return provide world class, well rounded, training that will lead trainees into a successful career as future PGA Professionals. Daniel will remain with Carnoustie on a training contract until at least October 2025 and Carnoustie Golf Links will fully fund his PGA Training.

“We are committed in providing Kerr, Kyan and Brandon the very best experience in their first step into employment and we hope that they will enjoy and flourish in their four-year apprenticeship. They will finish this apprenticeship with a qualification in Greenkeeping and four years’ experience working with the world’s best golf course.

“This is only the start of our apprenticeship programme. We hope that the success of this programme will pave the way for our next group of apprentices in the coming years.”

Commitment in this programme is required from both sides. The parents and guardians of the new apprentices were invited to meet with

In joining the greenkeeping team at Carnoustie, the new apprentices have lots to look forward to. As part of Carnoustie’s partnership with John Deere, each year a select number of Greenkeepers will be offered the chance to carry out work experience in the USA amongst many other opportunities. This year, one of Carnoustie’s apprentice greenkeepers, Ross Crosbie, visited the Pinehurst Resort on a month-long work experience programme.

The management team at Carnoustie is also supporting a number of office-based training programmes and work experience opportunities in order to support those looking to further their career or gain new qualifications.

Daniel Morris, Trainee PGA Professional and winner of The Ben Hogan Trophy at Carnoustie in 2022

Carnoustie’s 2022 Apprentice Greenkeepers (in order), Kerr Westlake, Kyan Low and Brandon Walker

Ross Crosbie, Apprentice Greenkeeper during his work experience in the USA

Greens’ News

Meet one of our apprentices

What is it like to be an Apprentice Greenkeeper at Carnoustie Golf Links...? We sat down with Ross Crosbie to chat about his time as part of the greenkeeping team so far and his exciting trip across the Atlantic to undertake work experience at Pinehurst Golfing Resort.

working here. I’ve been off to America, I spent three weeks at Pinehurst. That’s something that I never, ever thought I would do in my life. The amount of people that I’ve met, the things that I’ll take with me for the rest of my life, it really is something incredible.

Tell us a little bit more about your trip to Pinehurst.

And what does the future hold for you?

I’m looking forward to completing my apprenticeship at the end of March and then from there, I guess, I’m going to see what happens!

Do you have any advice for anyone thinking about an apprenticeship?

What made you want to work with Carnoustie Golf Links and do your apprenticeship here?

I always knew that I wanted to work in the golf industry. Originally I wanted to be a caddie, to go off and caddie on the tour. But I started doing work experience, sort of to get out of school, two days a week, and I just fell in love with it. From there, I asked if I could get a seasonal job, but then an apprenticeship came up so I applied for that, and here I am!

What’s the best thing about working at Carnoustie?

Ever since I was young I’ve played golf at Carnoustie, and I know how highly regarded Carnoustie is in the industry, because golf has pretty much been my life. So, to be able to work on a Championship golf course, my home course, to me, that’s the best thing about working at Carnoustie.

But also, I’ve had great opportunities

Craig Boath came to me and asked if I wanted to go across to Pinehurst for three weeks, he knew that I’d wanted to go across to America and see what it’s like over there, and how greenkeeping works, so I said yes straight away. I went across and met Kevin Robinson who’s in charge of the nine courses and he showed me around for those three weeks. I was learning about warm weather grasses, which I thought would be quite similar to here, but it’s completely different, the things that go into maintaining warm weather grasses.

I also worked at the US Women’s Open when I was over there, and that was a great experience. Having the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie last year, I was able to compare how they prepare for it compared to how we do it here, that was a great insight.

The advice I’d give to anyone who’s ready to leave school would be to try and get work experience, maybe just one or two days a week, because it gives you a chance to find out what kind of work you enjoy, and you might find out that you love it, like I did.

Did you know?

We have four apprentices working at Carnoustie

Logo

Pinehurst

The Carnoustie Performance Centre Memberships Available

Did you know that you can subscribe to a membership at our fully-equiped Performance Centre?

Particularly great for the winter months, the Carnoustie Performance Centre is the ultimate indoor golf facility located in Links House that delivers a premium practice and amazing indoor golf experience.

The Performance Centre houses seven Foresight simulator bays, complete with launch monitors, allowing all golfers (from beginner to professional) to enjoy golf in comfortable and relaxed surroundings.

Whether it’s a precise practice environment or an enjoyable round of golf with friends on one of the many world-class virtual courses on offer, the Performance Centre delivers beyond expectations and gives golfers an experience unlike any other.

We’ve got three membership types, meaning that you can choose an option to suit you.

Our Memberships:

1 Month £27.50

6 Month £150

12 Month £240

Of course visitors are welcome to use the simulators and can book 60 or 120 minute sessions, inviting upto 3 guests to join you in your bay.

Improve your game

Our incredible performance centre has all of the equipment you need to get your game where you want it to be. Sign up to our 12 month or 6 month memberships and have access to the very best golf simulator equipment. Comprehensive custom fitting and the highest standard coaching is also available from our experienced PGA Professionals.

All the tech

Carnoustie’s Performance Centre is home to seven Foresight simulator bays, complete with advanced launch monitors with data and feedback technology to help you understand and improve your game. Subscribe to one of our memberships and benefit from the very best indoor performance equipment at your fingertips.

Just have fun

If the gym is not your thing and 5-a-sides is getting tough then why not try an indoor golf league? We’ve got seven indoor golf simulators at Carnoustie - set up a league and play the numerous world-class virtual courses on offer. Why not up the stakes and make the loser buy the drinks in The Rookery!?

Fairground Fun!

Indoor Family Fun!

Looking for family fun activities over winter?

It’s not just about hitting the perfect drive in the Performance Centre, there’s lots of fun to be had too!

Book a golf simulator bay or subscribe to a membership and bring the family along to help you fight off the oncoming zombie horde! There are lots of fun games to play, whether you’re looking to improve your game or just have fun. It’s only £15 for a one hour session for the first person, then £5 per extra guest plus under 16’s go free!

You can book online and find out more by visiting:

www.carnoustiegolflinks.com and selecting ‘Performance Centre’.

You can book online and find out more by visiting: www.carnoustiegolflinks.com and selecting ‘Performance Centre’.

Tournaments & Entertainment

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Lottie Woad and Albert Hansson were crowned Girls’ and Boys’ Amateur champions on Sunday 14th August 2022 on a historic day at Carnoustie.

In the 36-hole finals, England’s Woad defeated Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio from Spain 7&6 to win the 93rd Girls’ Amateur Championship. In the all-Swedish showdown between good friends, Hansson overcame Didrik Ringvall Bengtsson 2&1 to win the 95th Boys’ Amateur Championship.

Woad was six-under-par for her 12 holes in the afternoon to ease to victory, while Hansson fought back from three down with eight to play to triumph.

It was a day for the history books at Carnoustie as the finals were played alongside each other for the first time. In another first, both finals were also live streamed on The R&A’s website and YouTube channel.

Hansson, 18, who attends the same school in Helsinborg as Ringvall Bengtsson, joins a roll of honour that includes Matt Fitzpatrick, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal and is the first Swedish winner since Marcus Svensson in 2015.

Woad, 18, a member at Farnham in Surrey, joins a winners’ list that includes major champions Georgia Hall, Anna Nordqvist and more recently, Pia Babnik, already a two-time winner on the Ladies’ European Tour. Woad follows the last English winner, Lily May Humphreys, in 2017.

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